THE FOUNDATION MUST BE STABLE

People throughout the world were in a state of fear. In 1916, in the United States, the virus causing the anxiety was categorized as an epidemic. The most frightening part of the epidemic was that mostly children contracted the virus. Imagine the horror in 1916 as 27,000 Americans became ill, paralyzed, or dead by the poliomyelitis virus. It was sometimes known as infant paralysis, but most people recognize the name polio. 

My father was born in 1938. He remembered schools, movie theaters, and swimming pools being shut down because of polio outbreaks. At the time, no one knew how the virus was transmitted. 

Although research to find the vaccine was a priority, the virus seemed unstoppable. It was unpredictable. However, it was very prevalent during the summer. A creative thinker - a medical research superhero - was urgently needed. The world needed a vaccine. 

Imagine the fear of your child becoming infected. Polio enters the body by mouth and transitions to the gastrointestinal tract. After multiplying in the gastrointestinal tract, it enters the bloodstream. If not neutralized in the bloodstream, the virus next spreads to the nervous system. The spinal fluids and the brain are the final targets. 

The first symptoms of the virus took the form of a sore throat and runny nose. Next came a high fever and profuse sweating. Not ending there, the victim went through extraordinary painful situations described as a feeling of electrical shock. Shocking through the arms, legs, or back were accompanied by screams or crying. The helplessness of parents, who could do nothing, was also torturous. The shock symptom caused severe muscle spasms, which were known to twist children into horrible postures. 

After this nightmare, the fever proceeded in most cases, and the patient began to feel normal. For some lucky children, the virus had taken its course and went away. For unlucky children, after several days, paralysis set in. The paralysis put children into wheelchairs, braces, and beds. Many were unable to walk the rest of their lives. Some of the children died. As the virus attacked the brain's base, patients were unable to swallow, which caused death.  

Doctors were unable to predict the virus outcome. It was different for every victim of polio.   

Luckily for the world, America had a researcher who was driven by creative thinking and a mission. Dr. Jonas Edward Salk was born on October 28, 1914, in New York City. At an early age, he showed promise as an excellent student. Accepted into Townsend Harris High School, which enrolled only students known for exceptional academic ability, Dr. Salk found his love of learning and higher-level thinking. He then went on to enroll at College of the City of New York, graduating in 1934. He was not at the top of his class, but one of his professors said, "but then again, the really great ones are rarely top students when they are in college." 

He became completely curious about medical research and did not show interest in becoming a physician. While studying at college, he became the student who asked a lot of questions. Later in life, while discussing his learning philosophy, he shared, "Think about things that come to mind. Certain things have to be known before you know something else." 

Without the firm foundation of knowledge and skill, effectiveness troubles will manifest. As when a farmer stacks bales of hay high into the sky, the foundation must be stable. A person can reach higher effectiveness levels by learning fundamental skills.  

As a student, he learned that virus researchers felt that using a live virus was the only vaccine option. Teachers could not explain to him why. A live virus can multiply and infect the recipient - the patient was at risk. Researchers trying to create a vaccine for influenza and polio had no interest in using a killed virus. Killed virus or inactivated virus can not divide. A killed virus can not spread. Instead, researchers focused on using a week virus for vaccine development. Dr. Salk could not stop asking why. 

After receiving his medical degree in 1939, Dr. Salk received a fellowship from the National Research Council and moved to the University of Michigan. While there, he and a mentor, Dr. Thomas Francis Jr., experimented with influenza vaccines using killed viruses. He learned much about using inactivated viruses while studying influenza and successfully created a vaccine for influenza. That work prepared him for the fight with polio.  

In 1947 he moved to the University of Pittsburgh and became the head of a new virus laboratory. People outside of the research community might perceive the appointment as a prestigious position. However, many researchers felt the work was primarily a job, which only required identifying and documenting poliovirus types. Dr. Salk shared the job was described as "drudgery for others." For him, it was not. Instead, he found that he was very good at looking for different ways to complete the process. He was creative and did not utilize the standard system. Instead, he asked questions and found a more effective way to type polioviruses. His creative mind and willingness to try new methods lead to success. Dr. Salk was driven by his mission to help others and belief that inactivated virus could create antibodies to stop the disease. 

Dr. Sauk found failure as a potential for more questions. Failing was not viewed by him as a failure. Instead, it was a significant positive that he now knew that something didn't work, and he could move on to a new path that did work. He said, "Pursue a question and see where it leads." 

On April 12, 1955, it became public that Dr. Sauk's vaccine was effective against the virus. He said, "I couldn't have done it unless I had been more critical of myself than others were of me.  It was courage based on confidence, not daring, and it was confidence based on experience." 

Dr. Sauk is an example of how a person can use creativity and a mission to accomplish greatness. In his case, he found a way to eradicate a feared virus, which brought death and paralysis throughout the world. However, his confidence came from building a strong foundation of knowledge. He studied, researched, experimented, and learned. After experiencing failure and success, he was able to accomplish his dream. 

As we mentor youth, encourage creative thinking as they dream of what is possible. Every child has a gift. Dr. Salk was mentored and given opportunities to ask questions and challenge research paradigms. If he had not, how would history look different?  

Curiosity comes naturally for most children. Encouraging questions can help a young person. Encouraging a young person to ask questions and providing them with opportunities to find the answers teaches them a lifelong learning strategy. Lifelong learning provides a foundation of knowledge. With knowledge, a curious mind, and a mission, chances for success expand infinitely.